Speaking & Workshops
"Clayton has collaborated with us at Untapped Learning for several years to improve our coaches' understanding of anxiety, and his impact has been invaluable. He creates an incredibly encouraging environment that makes the topic of mental health approachable, breaking down stigma and making complex concepts relatable and understandable. This has empowered our team to grow, ask questions, and step into their roles with a new level of confidence. Clayton has been a true asset, and we cannot recommend him more highly."
- Brandon Slade, Untapped Learning
“To say Clayton is a gem in the field of psychotherapy is an understatement. He’s pushing the boundaries of what it truly means to engage with youth and reclaiming what the “field” actually represents. He’s literally taking therapy out into the fields! Clayton is guiding our profession into its next chapter. He breathes life into therapeutic work, grounding his values in the belief that the “container” of therapy can and should extend into the world. His work is profoundly imaginative and deeply inspiring”
- Johnny K, Scribble
Sharing stories from the field and connecting with therapists and educators is my favorite part of this work. I’ve guest lectured at universities across the country, spoken at conferences, and trained summer camps and therapy centers like Square State Skate, Push Skateboarding for A Cause, and YMCA Skate Camp. In my talks, I bring those experiences to life with creative, playful, and practical strategies for supporting adolescents.
Presentations I currently offer
Play Therapy-Informed Skateboarding
Learn how to adapt traditional therapy approaches to meet adolescents where they are — in their interests, passions, and unique cultures. Using skateboarding as a lens, this session shows therapists how to make therapy more engaging and meaningful. No skateboarding skills required — the principles apply to any client’s passions.
Presented at:
CU Denver’s Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honors Society Induction Ceremony Keynote Presentation, 5/23
Lynn University, 1/24
American Counseling Association’s Creativity in Counseling Conference, 11/23
Oklahoma Board of Play Therapists, 3/24
Subculture as Multicultural Competency
Explore the world of subcultures and how they can enhance multicultural competency in therapy. Therapists will learn how to use adolescents’ interests — whether skateboarding, hip hop, or birdwatching — as entry points for connection, growth, and creative interventions, while understanding subcultures’ origins as safe, intelligent spaces that often resist mainstream norms.
Presented at:
Scribble, Los Angeles, 6/25
University of Colorado Denver, 6/24 & 10/25
Rethinking Teen Anxiety: Practical Strategies for Therapists and Educators
This session encourages therapists and teachers to move away from seeing anxiety as a problem to be fixed and instead view it as a source of insight and wisdom. Participants will learn how to work gently with adolescents and their anxiety, combining evidence-based therapy skills, philosophy, and insights from adolescents themselves to support growth, self-understanding, and resilience.
Presented at:
Untapped Learning, 8/23, 3/24, & 10/25
I also create custom talks and presentations tailored to any organization wishing to improve the work they do with adolescents. My sessions are full of humor, engaged storytelling, and practical strategies to inspire professionals and make learning memorable.